Ottawa shooting shakes Canadians' sense of security

CALGARY/TORONTO (Reuters) - A gun attack targeting the heart of Canada's government has shaken the country's closely guarded image as a sanctuary from the kinds of mass violence that plague the United States.

Canadian cities and towns hiked security around government buildings, schools and mass transit systems on Wednesday after a gunman entered Ottawa's parliament building, leading to gunfire near a room where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was holding a meeting. The gunman was shot and killed.